Presidential Documents

54891 

Federal Register 

Vol. 71, No. 182 

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 8053 of September 15, 2006 

Literacy Day, 2006 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

The ability to read is the gateway to educational excellence and a key 

to success in any democratic society. On Literacy Day, we recognize the 

vital importance of literacy to our Nation and affirm our commitment to 

helping improve the lives of the men, women, and children in America 

and around the world who cannot read. 

Our society has a responsibility to ensure individuals have the educational 

opportunities to learn to read. Literacy is a basic requirement for healthy 

societies and enables people to better care for themselves and their families. 

Reading also encourages participation in the democratic process and helps 

people reach their full potential through self-reliance and independence. 

My Administration is committed to helping children and adults gain the 

reading skills they need to succeed in life. Through No Child Left Behind 

programs such as Reading First, Early Reading First, and Striving Readers, 

we are challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations and helping to 

provide students with the foundation to achieve their dreams. Reading also 

helps adults to be better consumers, and wider literacy increases economic 

participation, which helps to create more stable and vibrant economies. 

The White House Conference on Global Literacy, led by First Lady Laura 

Bush, is working to promote literacy for individuals of all ages and help 

give people around the world the skills necessary for success. By increasing 

literacy, we can help change lives and equip all people with the knowledge 

and tools to excel in the 21st century. 

On Literacy Day, we recognize the great value of reading and encourage 

individuals around the world to take an active role in promoting literacy. 

Together, we can build a stronger society and a bright future for people 

everywhere. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 18, 2006, 

as Literacy Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe 

this day with programs and activities that advance literacy for Americans 

and all the people of the world. By donating books to local libraries, volunteering to tutor, supporting international literacy programs, and fostering 

a learning environment in the home, citizens across this great Nation can 

make a difference and help their fellow Americans and people throughout 

the world enjoy the benefits of literacy. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with FRD1
54892 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 182 / Wednesday, September 20, 2006 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day 

of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first. 

[FR Doc. 06–7953 

Filed 9–19–06; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3195–01–P 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with FRD1GWBOLD.EPS</GPH>